Variation lexicale, catégorisation et convergence culturelle

Abstract

The study deals with the compound word ελαιόλαδο “olive oil” in relation with the four other compounds sharing the same component stems. We also consider the related question of the discourse-related alternation between the simple form λάδι “oil” (with default interpretation: “olive oil”) and the compound form, as well as the variation in the stress pattern when the compound occurs in the genitive case. The semantic field of food and food habits, explored through such a key element of the Mediterranean diet as olive oil, is of special interest since it allows us to revisit the relation between linguistic categories and the extralinguistic world, and the various modalities of their connection and interdependency.

Keywords

• Olive oil
• Νominal composition
• Νominal bending
• Lexical variation
• Language Register
• Greece